• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.44-51
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• 2021

Rapid urbanization and population growth have caused substantial land use land cover (LULC) change in the Kathmandu valley. The lack of temporal and geographical data regarding LULC in the middle mountain region like Kathmandu has been challenging to assess the changes that have occurred. The purpose of this study is to investigate the changes in LULC in Chandragiri Municipality between 1996 and 2017 using geographical information system (GIS) and remote sensing. Using Landsat imageries of 1996 and 2017, this study analyzed the LULC change over 21 years. The images were classified using the Maximum Likelihood classification method and post classified using the change detection technique in GIS. The result shows that severe land cover changes have occurred in the Forest (11.63%), Built-up areas (3.68%), Agriculture (-11.26%), Shrubland (-0.15%), and Bareland (-3.91%) in the region from 1996 to 2017. This paper highlights the use of GIS and remote sensing in understanding the changes in LULC in the south-west part of Kathmandu valley.

• Proceedings of the KIPE Conference
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• 2003.07b
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• pp.528-531
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• 2003

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.222-228
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• 2020

Background: Parthenium hysterophorus is a noxious invasive weed in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, including Nepal. Among 11 species of biological control agents released to control P. hysterophorus in Ausrtalia, winter rust Puccina abrupta var. partheniicola arrived fortuitously and has established in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, nearly a decade back. However, the prevalence and effectiveness of this rust as a biological control agent in Kathmandu remain unknown. To address this knowledge gap, a roadside survey was done at an interval of 2 ± 0.25 km in Kathmandu Valley to assess the P. abrupta var. partheniicola incidence and its impacts on P. hysterophorus. Infested individuals of P. hysterophorus were further divided into four severity classes (very low, low, medium, and high), and rust incidence was calculated. The impact of the winter rust on the growth of P. hysterophorus was assessed by comparing biomass and seed output of infested and non-infested individuals. Results: Among 81 locations where P. hysterophorus was present in the Kathmandu Valley, winter rust infestation was observed at 98% locations. At some locations within Kathmandu Valley such as Tinkune, Kirtipur, Chabahil, Buddha Chowk, and Dhobighat, the impacts of the rust on P. hysterophorus were medium to high. Aboveground biomass and seed output of P. hysterophorus were reduced by 47% and 73%, respectively, due to winter rust infestation. The study indicates that winter rust incidence is widespread in Kathmandu Valley with very low to high levels of damages to P. hysterophorus depending on the localities. Conclusion: The rust has, therefore, a potential to reduce the growth performance of P. hysterophorus, and it can be used as a component of integrated management of P. hysterophorus by introducing to other suitable areas in Nepal.

• Proceedings of the KIPE Conference
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• 2003.07a
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• pp.239-242
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• 2003

• International Journal of Fluid Machinery and Systems
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2017

Bifurcation refers to wye division of penstock to divide the flow symmetrically or unsymmetrically into two units of turbine for maintaining economical, technical and geological substrates. Particularly, water shows irrelevant behavior when there is a sudden change in flow direction, which results into the transition of the static and dynamic behavior of the flow. Hence, special care and design considerations are required both hydraulically and structurally. The transition induced losses and extra stresses are major features to be examined. The research on design and analysis of bifurcation is one of the oldest topics related to R&D of hydro-mechanical components for hydropower plants. As far as the earlier approaches are concerned, the hydraulic designs were performed based on graphical data sheet, head loss considerations and the mechanical analysis through simplified beam approach. In this paper, the multi prospect approach for design of Bifurcation, incorporating the modern day's tools and technology is identified. The hydraulic design of bifurcation is a major function of dynamic characteristics of the flow, which is performed with CFD analysis for minimum losses and better hydraulic performances. Additionally, for the mechanical design, a simplified conventional design method as pre-estimation and Finite Element Method for a relevant result projections were used.

• Journal of Industrial Technology
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• v.35
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• pp.55-58
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• 2015

Natural shifting of rivers has been disturbed by anthropological activities. Urbanization in Kathmandu has been encroached the natural floodplain of Bagmati and currently channeled by training walls. The study compares the change in shape of Dhobikhola, a small tributary using 1966 and 2014 satellite images. It has been found that the original shape is heavily changed over time at the beginning and end section of river under study. The river width is now fixed by training walls and roads along the banks. Using multiple data sets like satellite images and GIS analysis, these shifts can be easily detected to plan for management and restoration of physical and ecological behaviors of rivers.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.988-990
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• 2003

IKONOS image mapping is being considered a possible replacement to the traditional mapping in many countries due to their ease of access to current data and their potential high resolution. Survey Department of His Majesty's Government completed traditional orthophoto mapping of all urban and semi-urban areas of the country. The 1:5000 monochrome orthophoto maps of Kathmandu Valley were completed in 2003. In 2002, as a test, production of a near natural colour Image Map at 1:5000 scale of a part of Kathmandu Valley based on IKONOS data was carried out. A conventional line map plotting of the same area at 1:5000 was also prepared. The objective of the pilot project was to assess the geometric accuracy and the information content of these maps. The details of the study and their results are underlined. The findings of the study helps to explain whether IKONOS image map can replace conventional orthophoto map at 1:5,000 for urban areas of Nepal like Kathmandu.

• International Journal of Fluid Machinery and Systems
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.294-303
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• 2015

The present study is conducted to identify a better design and optimal number of Francis runner blades for sediment laden high head micro hydropower site, Tara Khola in the Baglung district of Nepal. The runner is designed with in-house code and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis is performed to evaluate the performance with three configurations; 11, 13 and 17 numbers of runner blades. The three sets of runners were also investigated for the sediment erosion tendency. The runner with 13 blades shows better performance at design as well as in variable discharge conditions. 96.2% efficiency is obtained from the runner with 13 blades at the design point, and the runners with 17 and 11 blades have 88.25% and 76.63% efficiencies respectively. Further, the runner with 13 blades has better manufacturability than the runner with 17 blades as it has long and highly curved blade with small gaps between the blades, but it comes with 65% more erosion tendency than in the runner with 17 blades.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.19-29
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• 2023

Purpose: The study's primary objective was to pinpoint the variables impacting consumers' impulsive purchasing decisions in the distribution centers in Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal. Research design, data, and methodology: The independent variables used to identify consumer impulse buying behavior were the in-store displays, store employee behavior, reference groups, and promotional activities. A 6-point Likert scale questionnaire was employed for collecting the primary data from customers at the retail center of Kathmandu. The study's sample size was 396, employing a convenient sampling method. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and Analysis of a Moment Structures (AMOS) have been used to show the relationships between dependent and independent variables. Results: The outcome of the path analysis using structural equation modeling demonstrates that in-store displays, reference groups, and store employees' behavior significantly influence the customers' impulse buying decisions in the distribution center. Additionally, it has been discovered that promotional activities have no significant impact on consumers' impulsive purchasing decisions made at the retail center of Kathmandu. Conclusions and Implications: The study's findings indicate that the actions of store personnel, reference groups, and in-store displays significantly contribute to the acceleration of impulsive purchases. Such findings provide researchers and business executives with a road map for the future.

• International Journal of Fluid Machinery and Systems
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.183-192
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• 2015

The aim of this study was comparative analysis of sediment-induced erosion on optimized design and traditional design of Francis runner blade. The analysis was conducted through laboratory experiments in a test rig called Rotating Disc Apparatus. The results showed that the extent of erosion was significantly less in the optimized design when compared based on the material loss. It was observed that the optimized design could reduce sediment erosion by about 14.4% if it was used in place of the reference design for entire duration of the experiment. Based on the observations and results obtained, it has been concluded that the optimization of hydraulic design of blade profile of Francis runner can significantly reduce the effect of sediment-induced erosion.